Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. – Beaver Duck

Like most bottled craft beer, the Beaver Duck features the classic pop top brown bottle and features a label that wraps the bottle up like a warm orange coat. It has an enjoyable cartoon beaver on the front wearing a duck hat. It has a beer gauge on the side of the bottle, to inform you when it is time to have another one, which we think is a great idea. The label has some fine pebbled texturing on it giving you that Kung-Fu Grip you need to keep your nectar out of your carpet.

Aroma 7/11

We’ve never really been able to discern much about a beer from a sniff, but we decided it seemed important enough to beer drinkers that we’d give it a try. Hops are definitely present in the overall aroma… other than that we are pretty lost in what we should be smelling for in a beer. On to the tasting!

First Impressions 7 /11

Hops are definitely front and center, but not too much to leave you wanting less. A hint of a fruity flavour in the middle. Not bad at all.

Smoothness 8/11

Comfortable as your dad’s old La-Z-Boy and as smooth as your local hockey rink when the good Zamboni driver is working. The dry hopping method used (which we of course pretend to fully understand) gives it a light, crisp taste for a beer that has so much hoppyness . This is however a bit of a complex flavour and may be lost on the Busch lite or PBR lover.

Aftertaste 8/11

Now to the aftertaste… You may be noticing a bit of a theme for this beer, but the aftertaste is mainly (you guessed it) hoppy. The fruity hops give way to a mild citrus finish but it is not overpowering on either account. It leaves a nice flavour on the pallet for a pleasant finish to an all around good sip.

Do I Want Another One 10/11

This beer is a taste choice and really gives no reason why you wouldn’t want another one, it is just missing that extra something that makes it a perfect 11.There is much to be desired in this beer that definitely leaves you wanting more.

Accessibility 3/11

Accessibility is only a 3/11 for this beer which really hurts its overall score, but that can’t be helped when it can only be purchased at the Sleeping Giant brewery in Thunder Bay, ON. It is however available year round and is well worth the roadtrip!

52/77

As beer enthusiasts with little experience in the writing of beer reviews (or anything for that matter), this is the first dipping of our toes into a sea of craft beer that we yet to discover. We began with the Beaver Duck as it is one of our favourite local beers and we hope to use it as a good jumping off point to dive in and explore the uncharted beer territory we hope to soon find ourselves in. The world of beer is becoming more exciting and diverse every day and we are here to guide you through it with our combined inexperience and unrefined palates. Given our qualifications, we would recommend putting this beer on your go to Friday night list or casual beer after a hard day at the office. This is the kind of beer that you can enjoy no matter the season or occasion. Anyway, here’s to all you amateur beer drinkers about to embark on this great sensory journey with us. Cheers!